There’s incredible power in Amazon customer reviews, and knowing how to get reviews on Amazon for your listings can positively impact both sales and rankings. Reviews from other customers provide social proof that a product is good, helping the customer choose one product over another.
Reviews are especially important when entering a saturated market. If there are lots of alternative products available, why should a customer choose yours? Third-party research tells us that an Amazon product with no reviews is off-putting, with over a third of shoppers claiming that they would not buy it.
The same research reveals that positive reviews increase sales by as much as 20%. Furthermore, a study by Spiegel Research Center indicates that products with more reviews sell better than those with fewer reviews. So not only is the quality of reviews important, but the volume of reviews can be advantageous too. So understanding how to get more reviews on Amazon is key.
Here we show you how…read on for our 5 top tips for encouraging customers to write a review about your product.
1) Use the Request a Review feature
Amazon’s Request a Review feature is great for reaching out to customers who need an extra nudge to write a review. We all know that today’s shopper is time-poor and easily distracted by the endless content online, so a reminder to leave a review can go a long way.
Even though Amazon automatically emails customers to ask for reviews, a further request from sellers could attract more responses. The Request a Review button in Amazon Seller Central allows you to send each customer an additional review request, and it’s available after 4-30 days of delivery.
Just note that this feature cannot be personalised, so you won’t be able to add a custom message.
2) Enrol products for Amazon Vine
This program is a must if you have brand-registered products with less than 30 reviews, and you want to know how to increase reviews on Amazon quickly! Amazon’s Vine Program is a way for sellers to send out products for free in exchange for a review.
It works in the same way as incentivised reviews, which were banned by the marketplace in 2016. The difference with Amazon Vine is that it is managed by Amazon, with each Vine user being carefully vetted and a set of rules and regulations in place to ensure all reviews are honest.
According to Amazon, 25% of reviews are written within 5 days of the order, but most reviews don’t get written until much later, usually within 35 days of the order. So using a program like Amazon Vine will help newly registered products gain momentum early on.
Sellers are allowed to enrol up to 30 products, and there are a couple of new tiers so you can trial two products without having to pay any fees. The tiers are as follows:
- Free (new tier) – enrol 1 to 2 units per parent ASIN and get up to 2 Vine reviews
- £60 (new tier) – Enrol 3 to 10 units per parent ASIN and get up to 10 Vine reviews
- £140 (existing tier) – Enrol 11 to 30 units per parent ASIN and get up to 30 Vine reviews
To find out more, head over to the Amazon Vine information page.
3) Use automated tools like FeedbackWhiz
Want to know how to get reviews on Amazon with minimal manual effort and optimal timing? When it comes to automation, FeedbackWhiz is one of the best tools out there.
This Amazon feedback management software allows you to acquire and target positive Amazon feedback through customised and personalised email. You can automate campaigns and send out emails based on an event or a specified time, meaning you can optimise the number of responses you get.
You’ll also get instant alerts when you get negative or neutral reviews, giving you the chance to repair feedback, correct issues and improve customer happiness.
4) Improve your product/service
The best way to mitigate negative reviews is to take negative feedback and make improvements. One of the great things about reviews on Amazon is that customers have the ability to edit or even delete reviews after posting. They may update what they’ve written if they are satisfied with how you handle their complaint, so address every negative or neutral review if you can.
Under no circumstance should you ask a customer to change/remove their review. This action has to come from them, and Amazon does not permit sellers to influence or sway customers into changing their reviews.
5) Get negative product reviews removed
Generally, Amazon does not remove negative reviews. All reviews are valid, whether they are positive or negative. However, every so often you may find that some bad reviews are actually in violation of Amazon’s Community Guidelines.
For instance, any reviews that include the following may be removed if you get in touch with Amazon:
- Any mentions of customer service, ordering issues and returns
This may be surprising to new sellers, but product reviews on Amazon are designed to help shoppers make buying decisions based on product performance. Any negative reviews focused on the customer service aspect of the transaction have a high probability of being removed.
- Any mentions of product packaging/shipping
Again, while product packaging and shipping form part of the whole customer experience, Amazon product reviews are for discussing the product only. This also includes any complaints about product condition and damage, as any damage caused in transit is not directly related to the quality of the product itself. The same goes for any issues with shipping (or shipping cost), as this is not deemed relevant.
- Cost comparison with other marketplaces
While reviewing value for money is allowed, it is not allowed to share cost comparisons with another retailer, store or retail platform. For instance, a negative review that mentions cost in the following way is acceptable…
“I’m not happy with this product because it’s not the best value for money. It cost me $20 and it doesn’t work very well.”
However, a negative review that mentions cost in the following way should be reported to Amazon…
“I found the exact same product at my local convenience store for $12 so this is a rip-off!”
Products can be different prices in different places, and making price comparisons doesn’t help customers determine whether a product is good or not. So if you have any reviews like this, be sure to flag them up.
- Content written in unsupported languages
In order for the reviews section to be useful for shoppers, it has to be written in a language understood by the reader. For this reason, only reviews that are written in the supported languages of that particular marketplace will be allowed.
- Content that doesn’t make sense
If you have received a negative review that doesn’t make sense, this can be reported to Amazon for violating guidelines. This is because reviews have to be helpful and provide some value to the reader. But if doesn’t make any sense, it should be removed. So this includes things like repetitive text, content that is nonsense or complete gibberish, just punctuation and symbols instead of words, etc.
- Private information
Any reviews containing order numbers, email addresses or contact details are not permitted as this reveals private information.
- External links
While links to other products on Amazon are allowed, external links are not. Firstly, the marketplace wants customers to stay on the platform instead of going elsewhere. But also just as important is protecting the safety of users. External links can be risky (such as malware sites).
- Promotional content
If a negative review talks about products from another brand or company (including any discounts and offers found elsewhere), they can likely be removed by Amazon. You may even find some reviews are a self-promotion tactic, steering people away from your listing on Amazon to their own offering – this is in direct violation of the Community Guidelines.
All of this said, getting negative reviews removed can sometimes still prove tricky. So we recommend using automated software like FeedbackWhiz to help you manage negative reviews.
A combined effort of managing and monitoring bad reviews, and encouraging customers to leave a review, will ensure that you have both volume and a high rating.
How to get reviews on Amazon…the right way!
If you want to know how to get more reviews on Amazon without breaking the rules, here’s a super quick summary of what not to do:
- Don’t incentivise reviews
Do not offer products/discounts in exchange for reviews.
- Do not buy reviews
The only way to ‘buy’ reviews is through the Amazon Vine Program, where users are vetted by Amazon.
- Never ask friends or family to leave reviews
It is not permitted to ask for reviews from friends, family members, employees or anyone else who is unlikely to provide real, objective feedback.
- Never leave yourself a review
Don’t review your own products or trade reviews with other sellers.
- Don’t just ask happy customers
Cherry-picking your customers has now been banned. By only asking your best customers to leave a review, you are not providing a full and honest picture of the suitability, quality and performance of your product.
Need help with Amazon account management? At Seller Presto, we have years of experience helping sellers improve their sales. We have all the tricks of the trade and know how to get more reviews on Amazon for our clients. Chat to our team about your requirements today…